How to Set Up Lazy Jacks

Locate the pad eyes, attachment devices the line runs through, on the boat's boom. There will be four pad eyes riveted to each end of the boom acting as attachment points for the lazy jack.

Run your line to the pad eyes affixed to the mast, lacing the line through the holes.

Tie a section of the line to each of the first two pad eyes on one side of the boom.

Tie a second line to the next pair of pad eyes on the other side of the boom.

Tie a shorter line in a bowline knot at the V angle of each pair of pad eye lines. This will create a new V angle with the shorter line.

Run the longest line up the mast and through the pad eyes. The line should go about two-thirds up the mast before it comes back toward the floor. Secure one end of the longest line to the cleat at the bottom of the mast.

Tie the end of the line running through the mast to the top end, the V angle, of the short line. If done properly, the end result will look like a series of triangles attached together: two triangles attached to the boom, a third triangle above the first two attached to the angular points of the two triangles below and a line coming from the mast attached to the top of the third triangle.